Apparatus for cooling air



July 9, 1935. 2,007,690

APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR Filed Aug; 19, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 iii/anion I w #Qgg s July 9, 1935.

K. F. NYSTROM APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR Filed Aug. 19, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July a, 1:700.

K. F. NYSTROM APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR Filed Aug. 19,

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Each/7507 Patented July 9, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 19,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to cooling cars and has for its principal object to use the cooling efiect of ice, and also the cooling and cleaning efiects of the drippings from ice, in preparing air supplied to the cars.

The drawings show an embodiment designed for use in cooling sleeping cars, club cars, and the like, such as are commonly found in fast through trains.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be revealed as the disclosure proceeds and the description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a longitudinal, vertical section with air connections for two cars indicated diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, looking from the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the relations between the cooling apparatus and two adjacent cars to be treated.

But these drawings and the specific description that follows areused for the purpose of disclosure only, and not to define the scope of the invention.

The body of the apparatus is a rectangular box-like framework including a bottom l0, ends II and I2, sides l3 and I4 and a top [5. The sides and ends are made with double walls l6 and I1, providing a space to be filled with insulating material l8, shown in the form of sheets, many kinds of which are readily available on the market.

The body is supported adjacent to one end by a drop axle I9, having two wheels 20, and adjacent to the other end by two swivel casters 2|.

The top is provided'with a plurality of hatch openings, closed by hatch plugs 23, hinged at 24, and provided with handles 25 to assist in opening and closing them. The hatch openings and the hatch plugs are constructed after the ap-.

proved practice in refrigerator cars. Beneath each hatch there is an ice basket 26, made of stout wire fabric with openings of considerable size.

The baskets rest upon a stout steel partition 21 supported on a ledge 28 somewhat less than half the height of the box-like body. The partition is provided with pairs of spaced flanges 29 that loosely receive and hold the baskets in place, Between the'flanges-of each pair the par- 1932, Serial No. 629,427

tition is provided with a large number of holes 30. The partition stops short of the right end of the body in Fig. l a suflicient distance to provide a passage 3| for admitting air from the lower chamber to the upper chamber of the body. 5

A roof shaped sheet steel baflie 32 extends lengthwise to the lower chamber spaced below the partition l'l, terminating a considerable distance from each end II and I2, and a less distance from each side 13 and I4. (Compare Figs. 1 and 3.)

A second trough-like baffle 33 also extends lengthwise to the lower chamber, and is spaced below the baflie 32. The sides of the bafiie 3| are sufficiently wideto extend beneath what may be called the eaves -34 of the baffle 32. (See Fig. 3.) The right end of the baffle 33, Fig. l, engages the end wall II, but the left end is spaced a long ways from the end wall l2 and provided with a transverse trough 35, having a series of perforag0 tions 36, (see Fig. 3).

A third that pan-like sheet steel baflle 31 is beneath the baffle 33, and spaced from both sides and both ends, and is inclined from the left to the right, Fig. 1. Its right end delivers to a supply trough 38, having a series of openings 39.

The three baflles are supported from the'sides of the body by suitable brackets 40.

The right end I I, in Fig. 1, is provided with a rectangular inlet opening adjacent to the bottom, which is fitted with an upwardly turned inlet spout 42. The left end wall l2 near the top is provided with a large outlet 43, fitted with an outlet tube 44.

On the outside of the end l2, below the outlet is a shelf 45 carried by brackets 46 and braces 41. This shelf forms a support for a blower assembly. That illustrated in the drawings is the American Blower Corporation, Series 30, No. 2 Sirocco fan blower, driven by 1 H. P., 220 volts, D. C. motor. The details of construction are well known, as are also similar blowers made by many others. It will suflice to say that it consists of a Sirocco fan having many curved blades arranged in a circle aligned with the outlet 43, which forms the inlet of the blower. The outlet of the blower generally indicated at 48, is directed upwardly, and connectedby an elbow 49 and piping 50 with the car. 4

In operation the fan'causes the air to enter 6 the inlet spout 42 and flow into the lower cham-.- ber above and below the baflle 31-. Upon reaching the left end of the chamber 5|, it turns upwardly and to the right, flowing under and over the bafille 32. Upon reaching the right end of the lower 2 chamber again, it rises through the passage 3| and then travels around and through the baskets to the outlet 43. The flow of water from the partition 21 to the discharge openings 52 is shown by arrows in Figs. 1 and 3 better than it can be described.

It will be obvious that in passingthrough the lower chamber; the air unavoidably traverses sprays, or showers, and sweeps along surfaces cooled with ice water, with the result that it is cooled and cleaned. Rising into the upper chamber it comesin'direct contact with the ice in the baskets and'is' further'cooled, and cleaned. The baskets, as will be noted in Fig. 4, are in staggered relation, whereby the air is made to travel partly in a zigzag pathand partly through the baskets,- all of which promotes an intimate contact with the surfaces of the ice, thus causing the ice to be melted and the air cooled.

- The contact between the air and the ice in the upper chamber deals, for the most part, with the transfer of thelatent heat of the melting of the ice and leaves the water dripping from the ice very close to the temperature of freezing. By subjecting the incoming air to the repeated contact with these drippings, much of the heat units in theair is transferred to the water before it escapes from the bottom of the body through the openings 52. From this it will be seen that the apparatus shown utilizes, to a very great extent, the cooling capacity of the ice.

The particular form shown has been found very eificient, but of course, a variety of other forms can be readily designed to utilize the same principles.

In treating a train of cars it is preferable to establish the relationship shown in Fig. 5, where 53 and. 54 indicate two adjacent cars. 55 and 56 indicate piping connecting the inlet and the outlet oi the machine with the respective ends of the cars. In this way the car 54 is utilized as a large still air chamber from which a supply may be drawn practically free from dust. At the same time the air in that car will be gradually changed to substantially the same temperature as the air in the car shed. After treating the car 53 and reducing its temperature to a suitable degree the apparatus would be moved to the right in Fig. 5, and connected with the right end of the car 54 and the adjacent end of the next car in the train. 5

In treating a single car, the inlet air can be taken from any convenient place though, of course, it is well to make sure that the inlet-air is as cleanv as is available under the particular circumstances. l

I claim as my invention:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a body A divided into upper and lower chambers} in ,com-

munication at one end, and having an inlet for air to the lower chamber and an outlet for air from the upper chamber, means for passing air through the chambers, means'for supporting ice in the upper chamber in segregated quantities spaced apart to form air passages and delivering ice water to the lower chamber, a roof-shaped baiiie receiving the ice water and a trough-like bafllereceiving the ice water from the roof-shaped b'aiile.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a body divided into upper and lower chambers in com-* munication at one end, and having an inlet for air to lower portion of the lower chamber and an outlet for air from the upper chamber, means for passing air through the chambers, means compris- 'in the upper chamber and delivering ice water to the lower chamber, and baiiles in the lowr chamber washed by the water and swept by the air, all of said bafiles being swept by air on both sides thereof, one of the baflies having means to deliver water in a spray.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a body having an air inlet below and an air outlet above divided into upper and lower chambers communicating at one .end, and ice baskets in the upper chamber spaced apart and arranged in staggered relation to form a zig-zag air passage and having perforations to deliver water into the lower chamber.

4. Apparatus of the class described, a box-like body, a series of ice containers supportedin the body in staggered relation and having perforations at. the bottom, means between the containers for dividing the body into upper and lower communicating chambers, and means for passing air into the lower chamber and out through the upper chamber.

5.In apparatus of the class described, a body having an inlet for air below and an outlet for air above, a perforated partition between the inlet and the outlet dividing the body into upper and lower chambers in communication at one end, staggered ice containers in the upper chamber exposing their contents to the air and supplying water to the lower chamber, and bafiles in the lower chamber causing the water to form sprays and the air to pass through the sprays.

' 6. In apparatus of the class described, a body having an aif inlet below and an air outlet above, means causing air to flow from the inlet to the outlet, a'baflle delivering a spray of water adjacent-to the air inlet, a second baille delivering a spray onto the first baflie, and directing air through that spray, a third baiile delivering water to the second, means for exposing ice to the air and delivering ice water in a spray transverse to the movement of the air over the third baflie, and means at the end of. one of said baflles to ensure a uniform curtain of water transversely to the travel of said air. I

7. In apparatus of the class described, abody having an air inlet below and an air outlet above, a blower having its suction side connected to'the outlet, ice containers in the upper portion of the body arranged in staggered relation to form a zig-zag air passage along said containers, directing the air and water in contrary streams, and

delivering the water from one to another in sprays.

8. In apparatus of the class described, a body divided into upper and lower chambers in communication at one end, and having an inlet for air to the lower chamber and an outlet for air from the upper chamber, means for passing air through the chambers; means for supporting ice in the upper chamber and delivering ice water its lower wall, an outlet in the other end adjacent the top wall, a baflle attached to an end wall adjacent to but above said inlet and extending air entering through said inlet, whereby a portoward the opposite wall and spaced therefrom, tion of said air will pass through said curtain and abaflie above and one below said first-named for cooling the same, means for containing a baflie and spaced from said end walls, the lower refrigerant inthe upper compartment, and means 5 bafiie being opposite said inlet and having means for circulating air through said compartments. 5

thereon to assure a uniform curtain of water transversely to the direction of movement of the KARL F. NYSTROM. 

